How Can I Lower My Air Conditioning & Heating Costs?
Air conditioning and heating costs can skyrocket in the middle of summer and winter. Unfortunately, income does not tend to increase proportionately. If you wish to save money, you need to find and apply new ways to lower your bills. A few tips can save you some cash without breaking a sweat.
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Insulate and Seal
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Energy Star estimates that people could save 25 percent of heating and cooling costs if homes were well insulated and all cracks were sealed. If you own your own home, caulk around the windows and doors and fill all holes in your attic, basement and/or crawlspace. When you do this, make sure your stove and laundry machines are well ventilated. Saving money is great, but one can seal a home too tightly.
Use fiberglass, foam, cellulose or foam board to insulate your attic. If you do not use your attic, it makes sense to have fiberglass insulation blown onto the attic floors. Energy Star recommends adding more than a foot of insulation -- double that if you live in an area with freezing winters.
Tweak Air Conditioning Costs
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SmartMoney, a division of the Wall Street Journal, offers a few tips for keeping cool without going broke. If you use room air conditioners in the heat of summer, make sure the air conditioner you use is rated well, and remember that the most powerful air conditioners are not always necessary. In fact, these can waste more energy and add, rather than reduce, humidity.
If you have central air in your home, make sure to change the filter regularly, and keep ducts clear of dust and debris.
Turn off the air conditioning when your family is gone for a while. Unless you have pets, there is no reason to cool a home that is not occupied. Alternatively, consider purchasing an automatic thermostat that will adjust according to the times you program into it. This is useful for both heating and cooling.
You can lower air-conditioning costs by closing window blinds to keep out heat from the sun and by using fans in occupied rooms.
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Keep Furnace and Vents Clear
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Maintain your furnace by replacing or cleaning the furnace filter to reduce energy waste. Furnaces use more energy when the filters are clogged or dirty than they do when they have adequate ventilation.
Another way to reduce the cost of heating is to close off heating vents or registers in rooms you do not use and to make sure all registers in rooms you do occupy are uncovered. When rugs or furniture are unknowingly placed over vents, you may find yourself turning up the heat to stay warm. Just making sure those areas remain uncovered can save you money.
Instead of raising the thermostat when you feel a chill, try throwing on socks and a sweater. You can lower your typical thermostat setting by a few degrees in this way and save substantial money over time.
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References
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